Every single offseason, NFL teams across the league undergo what is commonly called 'cap casualties,' which is when a team cuts one or more players to save money again their cap figure. This is done, typically because of the financial burden, coupled with a performance the team doesn't deem as good enough.
No team is perfect, as we could see the Denver Broncos get into this, with, for example, Dre Greenlaw. Greenlaw only played about half the possible games this year and just did not have the type of impact they envisioned. Contractually, the Broncos can move on from Greenlaw in 2026.
Anyway, 31 other teams could get involved in their own cap casualties in the 2026 offseason. Let's dive into four who could make sense. We dove into Bleacher Report's article on cap casualties for each team.
4 potential cap casualties that the Denver Broncos should have interest in signing
Written by Alex Ballentine, these four players could make sense:
Dawson Knox, TE, Buffalo Bills:
"Cutting Knox is a much more difficult sell. He's been a consistent presence in the Bills offense for the last seven years, but Dalton Kincaid has taken over as the team's top tight end. Unless the new coach is going to live in two-tight end sets, it doesn't make a lot of sense to pay a second tight end that much money.
Knox could be an interesting trade candidate, but if the Bills can't find a buyer then he is the player who can create the most cap space if he's released. That might mean the Bills move on this spring."
Dawson Knox would be a fun player. He can do a little bit of blocking and receiving, which is exactly what the Denver Broncos need. Knox had a career-best season back in 2021, finishing with 587 receiving yards and nine touchdowns. The possibility of a Knox-Evan Engram TE room with a rookie waiting in the wings would be very enticing, and I would have a hard time believing the Denver Broncos wouldn't have a ton of interest if Knox was cut.
Cole Kmet, TE, Chicago Bears:
"The Chicago Bears are going to have to perform a bit of a tightrope act this offseason. After having a breakthrough campaign they don't want to shake up the core too much, but they have work to do to be cap compliant by the start of the new league year in March.
That dynamic could make Kmet a logical cap casualty. Colston Loveland was clearly the team's top tight end and led the team in receiving. The Bears are set to pay Kmet $11.6 million this season which is a lot to pay for a second tight end."
Cole Kmet is younger and better than Dawson Knox. However, after a career-best season in 2023 with 73 receptions, 719 yards, and 6 touchdowns, Kmet has only amassed 77 receptions, 821 yards, and 6 touchdowns over the past two seasons.
With Colston Loveland in the picture in Chicago, a rookie in 2025 who already took on a huge role, the Bears, as Ballentine notes, may not want to pay nearly $12 million for a second-string TE. Kmet could be one of the more exciting cap casualties who fits what the Broncos need.
David Montgomery, RB, Detroit Lions:
"David Montgomery was effective in his role and the savings aren't huge. Yet, his role took another step back to Jahmyr Gibbs. Montgomery had a career-low 158 carries despite playing in 17 games for the first time in his career."
Another fun option, David Montgomery has formed an elite RB duo with Jahmyr Gibbs, but his production took a hit in 2025, and his future with the team appears to be cloudy, at best. Across his first two years with the Lions, Montgomery ran for 1,015 and 775 yards, respectively. He rushed for just 716 this year and had only 158 carries, which was the lowest of his career.
However, he is a very good running back in a '1a, 1b' type of committee that the Denver Broncos like. Think of Montgomery as a replacement for JK Dobbins. He does have 1,477 career attempts, so there is reason to believe that he could be declining.
Harrison Phillips, DT, New York Jets
"The Jets are already in a good cap situation after trading Quinnen Williams and Sauce Gardner during the season. There aren't a lot of huge contracts on the books and few of them would even have cap savings with a release.
Harrison Phillips is the notable exception as none of his $7.5 million cap hit is guaranteed. He played well and was the 21st-ranked interior defender of the 129 that PFF graded. Still, he's a 30-year-old run-plugging defensive tackle set to be the sixth-highest-paid player on the roster. That's worth a look."
Harrison Phillips has started all 17 games in each of the last four seasons and does give the Denver Broncos some much-needed size and ability defending the run. This might not be a 'sexy' signing, as Broncos fans understandably want the team to upgrade the offensive weaponry, but this type of signing is how the defense can remain elite.
Simply put, the Broncos need to get more stout against the run, especially later in the season. Harrison Phillips could help achieve that goal in 2026.